


Blame It On the Sparks

by xonceinadream



Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Falling In Love, Friends With Benefits, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:07:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26760388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xonceinadream/pseuds/xonceinadream
Summary: Finding out he apparently had magic at 21 years old was one of the last things a newly single Blaine Anderson was expecting to happen. Finding out that apparently Sebastian's parents had been friends with his own and he had his own magic? That was even more surprising.As Sebastian taught Blaine how to control his magic and they grew closer, allied sorcerers around them were being killed. Before something awful could happen to either of them, they could only hope Blaine learned enough to defend himself or the attacker was brought down. Or both.
Relationships: Blaine Anderson/Sebastian Smythe
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let's see. Definite shades of 'it's my fanfiction and I'll choose what's canon if I want to' but it's all explained. I know sorcerer is _technically_ considered a male-gendered term but I use it as gender-neutral here because it's the word I like best. And while it's not a flat-out soulmate au, it does have flavors of it.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Some warnings: It does include some non-graphic violence and original mentioned characters who are in their late teens dying.

The blinking cursor was mocking Blaine as he tried desperately to think of something to write for his art history essay. He’d done all the research and all he had to do was sit down and write it but he couldn’t get any words to come. A knock on the door had him breathing a sigh of relief and he’d take anybody – even his soon to be ex-husband right now in distraction.

Blaine raised his eyebrows when instead he saw his mother standing in front of the apartment door, a wide smile on her face and a plastic grocery bag in her hand. 

“I brought breakfast,” Pamela said, shaking the bag a little bit and stepping around Blaine to enter the apartment.

Blaine blinked twice, shut the apartment door and turned to face her. “It’s… 8 pm,” he said, amusement mixing with confusion in his tone. He’d long ago accepted his mother’s many eccentricities and he appreciated her for who she was. 

Pamela looked around the apartment, as if it might hold some clues to the time. The kitchen light was on since Blaine had been in the process of making coffee and he had been sitting next to a lamp in the living room but the blinds were rightly drawn. 

“Well, I brought cookies too,” Pamela said, opening the bag and pulling a store-bought plastic container of cookies out of it. 

Blaine’s lips twitched into a smile as he took the bag into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “Thanks. Do you want some coffee? I have a ton of homework so just brewed a fresh pot.”

A shadow passed across Pamela’s face as she went to sit on the couch instead, crossing her legs and pulling a folder out of the bag. Blaine wondered what else she had in there. “No, thank you. Come sit down, Blaine. We have to talk. I’m sorry for missing your birthday.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t expect you to make it,” Blaine said, taking a sip of his coffee and sitting down on the couch next to his mother. 

The silence was unlike her. Pamela had always been loud, turning the stereo up and handing out hairbrushes to Blaine and Cooper so they could put on impromptu concerts. They’d sit down and Pamela would tell stories for hours, talking about everything under the sun. She just loved life and enjoyed living it to the fullest. Sitting like this wasn’t like her and he watched as she pulled a cookie out of the container and nibbled on the edge.

“It was fun, though, my birthday,” Blaine finally said, mostly to fill the silence. He’d talked to her on the phone briefly since the party so it wasn’t as if he had to tell her all about it. “Celebrating my 21st on a school night wasn’t my best idea I’ve ever had but… not my worst, so.”

Pamela smiled slightly as that sentence seemed to spark something in her and she turned to look at him, setting the cookie down on the coffee table. He resisted the urge to move a few of his papers so they wouldn’t get crumbs on them. “I, um, should’ve come before but I suppose, the truth is, I forgot this was something I’d have to do. It was Cooper who reminded me that you’d receive your magic on your 21st birthday and somebody had to tell you. I… wanted him to but he said it was better in person. He said you can call him if you have any questions, though, of course.”

Knowing his mother, when referring to magic she could be talking about anything, so Blaine simply nodded once. He knew she’d keep talking if he let her. 

“I didn’t know when we got together but your father is actually a rather powerful sorcerer. And, because of his blood in you, so are you. You don’t need to use it but you’re going to need to learn how to control it, otherwise it can be dangerous.” Pamela opened the folder in her lap as Blaine tried to put her words together in his mind, unsure what she was talking about. “Cooper helped me put together a list of people with magic who are old allies of your father’s, or whose parents were, in New York.”

Blaine took the paper, not sure what he was expecting to see. With just a list of names and phone numbers, Blaine turned back to his mom. “I don’t think I get it,” he said, expecting some sort of punchline. Maybe his mother was playing an elaborate prank, that was just like her. Or it was a convoluted birthday gift.

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier,” Pamela answered, letting out a slow breath. He’d seen her concerned before but never this serious. Even when he was in the hospital, she’d still made jokes in an attempt to make him laugh. There was no amusement on her face this time, just something that looked melancholy to Blaine. “Most sorcerers learn in their late teens but I didn’t think about the fact that this was something I’d have to teach you. It should’ve been your father.”

Shifting uncomfortably, Blaine looked down at the paper instead of comforting his mother. The topic of his father was a touchy one with her, always had been, and there was no right thing to say to her about it. He instead skimmed the list. Five were younger than him. The two youngest on the list, Kalum Singleton and Jaydon Drake, were 18, which made sense to what she’d said. The oldest, at the bottom, was 105. Blaine let his eyes scan the list until they hit on…

“Sebastian Smythe?” he asked incredulously, looking up at his mother with wide eyes.

Pamela nodded. “Cooper wasn’t sure whether you’d like to talk to him but I know he helped you propose so I thought it would be nice. Plus, he’s close to your age.”

“Okay, so… I’m having a hard time with this…” Blaine said slowly, still sure there had to be some sort of catch. There was no way his mother had come all the way to New York to tell him he had magical blood from his father. 

Except, he hadn’t seen his mom in months. She loved New York but tended to flit between different places, never in one place for longer than a few days. Even when she came to New York, she rarely actually came to see him. Now here she was, sitting on his couch after bringing him cookies and he couldn’t help but trust her.

After all, it was his mother. How could he not believe her?

“You have the magic, Blaine. I can’t prove anything,” Pamela said, picking up her cookie again to take another bite of it. 

Blaine stared at the crumbs she dropped on the couch, drawing in a short breath. He supposed even if this was a lie, he could at least pretend to believe her at first. He could see what information he could get from her. “And how do I use my magic?”

Pamela shrugged, brushing off the crumbs that he was staring at and he resisted the urge to smile slightly. He’d have to break out the vacuum once she left. She was used to having a maid and didn’t know what it was like to clean after herself. “You’ll have to call Cooper. I’m sure you can probably just… think about it. Your father always used to create little sparks to amuse me.”

That wasn’t incredibly helpful and he wondered whether this was true. What would it be like to ask for help with magic? Blaine looked down at the names on the list, swiping his thumb along Sebastian’s name. They hadn’t spoken since the proposal, since Sebastian had told him he was making a mistake and Blaine had responded that it was none of his business. Sebastian had smiled cynically, told him he supposed not, and they hadn’t spoken since. 

“Yes, like that!”

Blaine glanced up, seeing a burst of red that disappeared as soon as his head lifted and his cheeks flooded with a similar color. “Oh,” he whispered, staring at the spot in the middle of the room where he’d apparently been making magic. 

“One of these people will be able to help you control it. You don’t want to do such a thing while you’re sitting in your college class.”

Blaine knew that was the last thing he wanted. There were plenty of people he could ask but what if he asked Sebastian? “Are you trying to tell me Sebastian Smythe is… a sorcerer? He has magic?”

“Only since his 21st birthday. Same as you. Same as your brother. Same as everybody on the list,” Pamela responded, gesturing vaguely towards the paper that Blaine was looking at. It still felt like some sort of fever dream and he wondered if maybe he fell asleep while he was working on his homework. He reached up to rub his eyes, feeling a headache forming. As if he wasn’t already feeling off because of his lack of sleep with how much homework he had.

With shaking hands, Blaine reached down to take another sip of his coffee, carefully staring at the area where he’d created sparks before. Then he… wanted to see it again. He didn’t know what he’d done the first time but he pictured the same light, the same occurrence, wondered if he should call Sebastian for help, and… he breathed out, his hands tightening around his cup to keep from dropping it in surprise.

The red flickered out as quick as Blaine had sparked it to life and he continued staring, finally starting to believe it. This was something real. His mother was serious. He was _magic_.

“So, everybody with a magical parent is born with it?” Blaine asked, not sure what else there was to do.

“As far as I know that’s the way it works. Being born with magic is the only way to be a sorcerer. Your father didn’t tell me much before he left with that floozy.”

“Don’t call her that,” Blaine said, more out of habit than anything. He’d never even met the girl his father had left his mother for, couldn’t really remember his father for that matter. But he’d always hated how bitter it made his mother when he was younger.

That same unpleasant twist to Pamela’s lips as from his childhood made Blaine frown. “Magic is why he left with her, or so he said. Because she had magic and I never understood him. He fed me some bullshit about how when sorcerers are lovers, their magic is enhanced and compliments each other. Although, it was likely because she was 10 years younger than me but…” Pamela shrugged, pretending it wasn’t something that bothered her when they both knew it was.

Blaine blinked at her and maybe that was something that affected him even more than learning he had these crazy abilities. His father had left his mother for somebody because of _magic_? He took another sip of coffee and he was kind of starting to feel like he was freaking out. No, he was definitely starting to freak out.

“Um,” Blaine said, setting the mug down and swallowing hard. “I… I really have a headache. I think I need to lie down. Can I set up the guest bedroom for you?”

“Oh, no, dear. I got a hotel room. I didn’t want to intrude on you and Kurt.”

Blaine pressed his lips together, standing up and yeah, that was definitely a headache. “Mom,” he said, stressing the short word. “I told you that Kurt and I aren’t together anymore. He moved out months ago.”

“Oh, of course. I almost forgot. It’s unfortunate, really. I liked him so much.”

Blaine opened his mouth, preparing to say any number of things. That Pamela had never known Kurt, that Kurt had made him feel awful even back as a teenager, that getting back together over and over again was his ridiculous optimism and the fact that they’d delayed in getting a marriage license was his saving grace.

But he said none of it because he knew his mother didn’t mean anything malicious by her words. This was just who she was. There was every likelihood she had simply forgotten about the break-up, even though he’d told her every time she’d brought up Kurt since they’d separated. 

“I suppose I’ll leave you to your homework then. Tomorrow we can go to breakfast? I’m flying out tomorrow afternoon,” Pamela said, standing up as well, leaving her mostly-eaten cookie on the coffee table on top of his papers.

Blaine couldn’t even be bothered by it. He simply nodded, saying all of the right things as she left the apartment. He went to her plastic bag when she was gone, realizing she’d left it, and laughed when he saw her breakfast was a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. He put the items in the refrigerator before pouring out his coffee and heading to bed. There was no way he was getting anything done tonight.

***

Blaine locked his apartment door behind him as he stepped inside. He’d had a nice breakfast with his mother, or as nice as it could get when she tended to talk a lot about herself, refusing to bring up the conversation from the previous night, and now he had a chance to dwell.

He still had to do homework, maybe look through apartment listings because he had every intention of moving out as soon as the lease was up in a few months. But he found himself with the list again, curled up on the couch. There were 5 people on the list younger than him but he didn’t really feel comfortable contacting any of them. It was bad enough that apparently most people learned about their magic years before he did. He wasn’t asking some 18-year-old about his magic.

He also didn’t think he wanted to ask people who were much older. And honestly, he really knew he was just making excuses. It may have been several years since he’d talked to Sebastian but it didn’t mean he didn’t still think of him sometimes. Their friendship had been a whirlwind, meeting and becoming friends immediately. There’d been something about Sebastian, something that Blaine _trusted_.

That trust was part of why it had hurt so much to have that slushie thrown in his eyes. Whether it was aimed for him or not wasn’t the point. While Blaine had forgiven him, their friendship had never quite recovered.

Blaine searched him now on Facebook, his eyes scanning over Sebastian’s profile. His picture was obviously old, a shot of the Warblers from the latter half of their senior year. Blaine bit his lip, wondering if he was now allowed to admit, just to himself, how good-looking he found Sebastian. Even if he was single now, it still felt forbidden.

From the very beginning, Blaine had been insanely attracted to Sebastian in a way he would never have admitted to out loud. It seemed like both Sebastian and Kurt had always been able to read it clearly. There was very little other information on his page. He was attending Columbia apparently, undecided if his last post was anything to go off of.

Blaine hit the ‘send friend request’ button before he could rethink it. Then he went to work on his paper.

Magic powers or not, he really needed to finish this essay.

Several hours later, while Blaine was making coffee, Sebastian accepted the request and sent him a message.

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
Your mom called my mom. I guess I was right. You’re magical._

Blaine couldn’t help the way he laughed, pouring sugar into his coffee and stirring. Sebastian had always been a shameless flirt and he’d delighted in alternating between making Blaine blush and making Blaine laugh with his progressively more outrageous pick-up lines. This one, though… Blaine was smiling as he responded.

_**Blaine Anderson**  
That was awful even by your standards!  
You were the closest in age and I have a lot to hang over your head so… I was hoping you could help me?_

Blaine took his coffee back to his couch, letting out a breath as he stared at the blinking dots that kept reappearing and disappearing. Sebastian was obviously unsure how to respond, starting and then stopping. After several minutes, the message popped up and Blaine breathed a sigh of relief.

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
You’re much more devious than when I last saw you. Sure. You want to come over or should I come wherever you are?_

_**Blaine Anderson**  
Come over here? You don’t have to. I know you’re doing me a favor._

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
I wouldn’t have offered if it wasn’t okay. Send me your address._

As soon as Blaine had sent his address, he couldn’t help but wonder whether it was the best idea. This was the apartment he’d shared with Kurt while they’d pretended to not be having second thoughts about their relationship. Blaine reached up to scrub his face before standing to tidy up. Nothing was really out of place, although the crumbs were still there and he wasn’t going to get the vacuum out just because Sebastian was coming over.

He was back to working on his essay when there was a knock on the door, and he took a deep breath before answering it. Sebastian looked much the same as he had before, just older. His shoulders were wider, his hair longer than it had been at the proposal, closer to how it had been at the beginning of their senior year. His smile was still wide, his eyes bright as they slid leisurely up and down Blaine’s body.

“New York’s agreeing with you,” Sebastian said when he’d checked Blaine out thoroughly, his eyes meeting Blaine’s again.

Blaine concentrated on not blushing as he opened his door, stepping aside. “Come in. And it is, I think. You too. I saw you’re going to Columbia?” Blaine asked, leading the way into the kitchen. “Something to drink?”

“Nah, I’m good, thanks. I am. It’s a grind but I like it. I saw your Facebook profile lists you as single,” Sebastian said as he pulled his jacket off and hung it on the hooks by the door.

Blaine bit his lip, not sure whether he wanted to ask if Sebastian had snooped through his profile. No, better not. “I am,” Blaine said simply, grabbing a bottle of water out of the fridge and turning back to Sebastian.

The other man was looking around the apartment, his gaze lingering on the pictures still hung up from the wedding. Blaine pressed his lips together as Sebastian turned to him, raising his eyebrows in question.

“I guess I just… haven’t taken everything down yet,” Blaine explained, reaching up to rub the back of his neck. He didn’t miss Kurt. He didn’t love him anymore and the wedding was just a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been a mistake and he was eternally grateful Coach Sylvester and the girls hadn’t managed to apply for a marriage license for Kurt and Blaine. It had made their inevitable break-up so much easier. 

“Uh-huh,” Sebastian responded, looking at Blaine for a long moment in that way he did. Blaine recalled so many times they’d met at the Lima Bean when they were teenagers. The way Blaine would try to evade the truth, tell Sebastian what Blaine thought he should be saying. And Sebastian had seemed to know every time when Blaine wasn’t telling the truth, wasn’t telling him all of it, at least. “It’s your apartment. Decorate how you want.”

“Thanks for your permission,” Blaine responded with a small smile, letting out a shaky breath as he looks at the other man. There was something so different about seeing him here, in New York, after everything that Blaine had gone through with both him and Kurt. 

Sebastian’s lips twitched before he shoved his hands in his pockets. “So. How’d you react when your mom told you that you actually have magical powers? Did you immediately cheer at the thought of living out your Harry Potter dreams or think she was crazy?”

Blaine laughed and relaxed, feeling most of the tension drain from him as he went to sit down on the couch, gesturing for Sebastian to follow him. Sebastian sat down on the armchair in the corner of the room, crossing his long legs and looking over at him with a curious expression. “Uh, both? I thought she was crazy but I was able to… I don’t know, generate this burst of light? That made me start believing really fast.”

“Like this?” Sebastian asked, raising his eyebrows and an eruption of sparks that looked like fireworks burst to life in the middle of his living room. Instead of fading, the light fluttered up to rest on the ceiling, making the two of them glow with the pale light.

Eyes on the sparks, Blaine shook his head. “No. Not nearly so nice. I couldn’t get them to stay either.”

Sebastian let the light fade after a moment and Blaine looked back at him. “It takes practice. I can’t say I know a ton about magic but I know enough. My dad wanted to make sure I was able to control it before I moved out of state.”

“You don’t use your magic?” Blaine asked, not sure why he was surprised by such a thing. He knew his mother had said Cooper wasn’t interested in his magic but he didn’t know why he’d thought Sebastian would be. 

Sebastian shook his head, leaning back in the chair and shifting a little to make himself more comfortable. “No. I’ve never found much use for it. You have to be subtle to make sure nobody knows what’s happening and in case you’ve forgotten, I like to be a bit more…”

“In your face about things?” Blaine asked, surprised he could find himself joking about the slushie. Sebastian seemed surprised too but it was so long ago. He knew Sebastian hadn’t meant what happened and he had never been very good at holding a grudge. Taking back his ex so many times was good proof of that. 

Sebastian stared at him for a moment before he smiled, although there was something in his eyes, something Blaine couldn’t recognize. “Exactly,” he said, looking over at the wall with the wedding pictures on it again. Then he turned back to Blaine with a shrug. “I have no use for magic besides helping me make a cup of coffee when I’m too busy to turn on the machine. Some people use it to help people, some people use it to do the opposite. I just… don’t.”

“I would’ve thought you’d be on the side of taking over the world with your magic,” Blaine said, hoping he wasn’t going too far with the words. He wasn’t necessarily accusing Sebastian of anything but it did make him wonder if the other man was hiding something from him. Even if Sebastian _was_ generally brutally honest about those sorts of things.

“I learned the hard way to just do the hard work yourself,” Sebastian responded with a cynical twist of his lips. 

Blaine wondered whether he was talking about the slushie, the blackmail, or the drugs he’d used in senior year. Whatever it was, it seemed to have made Sebastian calmer than Blaine had ever seen him. He opened and then closed his mouth, feeling a blush slide up his cheeks as he realized he had no idea what to even say, couldn’t seem to stop just _looking_ at Sebastian.

“So. Sparks,” Sebastian said after a moment, looking far too amused for Blaine’s state of mind. “Let’s see what you can do. What did you think about? Magic’s pulled from something in you. That’s what my dad told me. You need to think of something that comes from within you, that makes you emotional, whatever emotion it is.”

And now Blaine really could do nothing but stare at him. Because now that he was thinking about it, he couldn’t recall anything he’d been thinking about except Sebastian. It had been Sebastian that had sparked whatever emotion in him.

“I don’t really know,” he lied. 

Sebastian seemed to be able to tell he was lying, as he was always able to tell, but he didn’t call Blaine on it. Instead, he drew in a deep breath, his eyes flickering away from Blaine for a moment. “Well, think of something,” he said, standing up and holding out his hand, palm up. “Emotions make your magic stronger so something you’re really passionate about will help sustain it. Let’s see how powerful you are and then I’ll know how much I have to work with. I’ll create the magic. You manipulate it.”

Blaine looked at Sebastian’s hand, watching as his palm started to glow, a slow fountain of light seeping into the air above his hand. Golden light gleamed in front of him and he bit his lip, trying to think of what he felt passionate about. Years ago, it might have been Kurt. But now… he thought about theater, about his classes as he called the sparks towards him.

Nothing happened, just the same slow shower of light coming from Sebastian’s palm.

“What do you think about?” Blaine asked quietly, his eyes stuck on the colors in the air, trying to manipulate them towards him.

Sebastian shrugged. “It changes by the day. I don’t always focus on the pleasant emotions, though. I’ve never been as good at thinking about the bright side. You don’t need to think about happiness if that doesn’t work.”

Blaine’s brows furrowed as he considered that, taking a slow, steady breath. He thought about breaking up with Kurt, about the fights they’d had over and over again. As nothing changed from the sparks, Blaine’s memory went back further. He thought about being left behind, cheating and how that still made him feel lower than low. He thought about the slushie thrown on his face, the betrayal he’d felt as Sebastian had hurt him.

He thought about Sebastian, about dancing with him at Scandals, about late-night phone calls and all-day text message conversations.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows as the shower of sparks seemed to erupt into the same fireworks as he’d shown off before. Light glittered around them, staying levitating in the sky as Blaine blinked, blushing and hoping Sebastian didn’t notice. Something else was starting to make him feel warm, something that had nothing to do with the magic he actually thought he was able to feel this time.

“So… you are going to be powerful,” Sebastian said, closing his hand and letting the magic fade from view. He was watching Blaine with inquisitive eyes and an interested expression, taking a step closer to him. 

Blaine wondered if Sebastian could tell he was the one who had called the magic from Blaine each time. Hopefully not. Although, he had a feeling Sebastian definitely would be saying something if he had.

“But you still have a long way to go. I’ll take a water now,” Sebastian continued and Blaine huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

***

Blaine was panting when he finally told Sebastian he couldn’t practice anymore. Sebastian didn’t look winded, even though he’d done most of the heavy lifting when it came to Blaine practicing his control. Blaine couldn’t help but look at him with new eyes, surprised at how easy it had been to practice together. Their friendship had always come naturally, too naturally sometimes, but this was something else. The other man was a good teacher and Blaine wished he could’ve seen him lead the Warblers.

“It’s not easy,” Sebastian said as Blaine took a few gulps of his water, running his fingers through his hair. Blaine tried not to look too carefully, not wanting to get caught staring at the other man again. “I hated practicing with my father. He was an asshole. Nothing I did was quite good enough but it gave me impeccable control of it.”

Although Sebastian had never really told him too much, Blaine knew his relationship with his father was tenuous at best. From what Blaine had gleaned, Sebastian and his father were too alike to get along.

“Thank you. For helping me. And not pushing me like that,” Blaine said, half teasing as he capped his water bottle and put it aside again. He let out a breath and he could definitely feel the magic in him now. It was like electricity rushing through him and the tips of his fingers felt like he’d touched fire. 

“I’d recommend relaxing. Do your homework or whatever you have to do later but for now, take a minute to not do anything. Whenever I had sessions with my dad, I’d always watch a movie. You need to unwind after pulling so many emotions out,” Sebastian said, grabbing his own half-empty water bottle and moving towards where his jacket was hanging.

Blaine would never be able to say what possessed him to step forward. Maybe it was the emotions that Sebastian had just been talking about, the fact that whenever Blaine looked at or thought about Sebastian his magic seemed to flare to life. “You could stay. Watch a movie with me,” he said, catching Sebastian by surprise, the other man freezing as he reached for his jacket.

“And here I was trying to keep things professional between us,” Sebastian said, lowering his arm slowly and turning to face Blaine.

“You were hitting on me as soon as I added you on Facebook,” Blaine said with a huff of his breath, although he was trying not to smile. 

The smile on Sebastian’s lips sent heat running through Blaine’s body and he really needed to sit down. “That _is_ me trying to be professional. Sometimes with you I just can’t help it.”

Blaine swallowed, something about Sebastian’s words hitting him hard. Sometimes with you I just can’t help it. He stared at Sebastian before mentally shaking himself. No use dwelling on such a thing. While he found Sebastian undeniably sexy, he didn’t want to enter anything new. Although, he knew Sebastian had never really been interested in more from him. Their friendship had been fun but Sebastian had never acted like he wanted anything more than sex.

“So, what do you watch to relax?” Sebastian asked, heading in to flop down on the couch again and taking a drink of his water as if he did something like this every day.

Of course, he just might. Sebastian had made no secret of the fact that he had no qualms being around strangers, mentioning his various hook-ups to Blaine often when they were teenagers. 

“Home design shows,” Blaine responded before he’d even really thought about it. 

Sebastian grinned over at him, waving a hand. “I’m more of a cooking show guy but go ahead. I can critique home design shows just as well as I can awful chefs.”

Blaine’s lips twitched as he looked over at the other man, eternally surprised by how easy-going Sebastian could be at times. But then, Blaine knew Sebastian liked trashy reality shows just as much as Blaine did, he just talked about it less.

Sitting just inches away from Sebastian on the couch he’d bought with Kurt made Blaine feel oddly rebellious. Kurt had never liked their friendship and Blaine wondered maybe that was part of why he wanted to sit here with him like this. But no, Blaine enjoyed Sebastian’s company. He always had. It was easy to relax as they bantered about horrible design choices and overly picky people on the shows. 

When Sebastian finally left, he hesitated in the doorway as he pulled his jacket on, looking over at Blaine.

“So, when are you next available to practice? You’re making progress but it’s not going to be easy. I started learning how to master my emotions when I was 18. You should’ve been able to practice before this.”

Blaine swallowed any words about his mother, knowing it was pointless to think about it now. Now he was here and he was trying to practice. “Saturday maybe? Do you have any advice for… not doing anything stupid in the meantime?”

“Not doing anything stupid? That’s no fun,” Sebastian teased although judging by the way he was looking at Blaine, Sebastian knew what he meant. “Try not to get too emotional. That’s what magic comes from.”

“Have you met me?” Blaine asked dryly, a smile twisting on his lips although it wasn’t necessarily amusement.

Sebastian reached out, grinning as he smoothed the collar on Blaine’s shirt. “Lucky for me, I have,” he responded. 

He didn’t wait for another response before he left, shutting the door decisively behind him. And Blaine could only stare for a moment, trying to figure out what was happening right now.

He wasn’t sure whether he was more surprised by the magic or hanging out with Sebastian.

***

Blaine sat down heavily on the couch as Sebastian twirled his fingers to line up the water bottles Blaine had just barely been able to knock down. Most of them he’d only been able to just knock against, tilting before steadying. He was learning, slowly, how to use his emotions but Blaine had never been very in control of them.

“So, you’ve never really mentioned your dad to me. I know about your mom and your brother but…” Sebastian said as he sat down next to Blaine, looking over at the other man. 

It wasn’t a topic they had touched on a lot when they were younger. It had never felt like something they should share, not back then. The fact that Sebastian was asking about it now? 

Blaine smiled softly as he shifted, pulling a leg up underneath himself to face Sebastian. “I never knew him. I don’t remember if I told you but Cooper’s only technically my half-brother. He was married to his mother when he got with my mom.” Blaine looked down, biting his lip. “Then when I was 2, he left my mom for somebody even younger. I guess, apparently, another magic user. My dad left and my mom raised me and Cooper, even though Cooper wasn’t even hers.”

“Your dad sounds like an asshole,” Sebastian said simply and Blaine laughed, nodding in agreement. “There’s something to be said about magic users being together. I don’t know the specifics but it’s why my mom and dad got together. Since magic comes from emotions, when those emotions are shared, it makes the magic more powerful.”

Blaine tilted his head to the side. “My mom said something about that. She didn’t know if my dad was being serious when he said that’s part of why he was leaving her.”

Sebastian shrugged, turning away and looking over at the row of water bottles. With just a blink, he knocked them all down and then lifted them back up to standing. “It might be. But I know it’s true. Not that it helped my parents. They’re still the same as they were years ago. Still married, although my mom’s still living in France. Now, my dad just lets me know about the way he uses his magic to get whatever he wants out of the world. It drives my mom crazy.”

There was something annoyed about the way Sebastian spoke that had Blaine looking at him closely, as if he was trying to figure him out. It had been a late-night phone call, one of them that Blaine had _never_ told Kurt about, and they’d been nearly whispering, tired but unwilling to get off the phone, when Sebastian had admitted how much he didn’t get along with his father. Blaine hadn’t been sure he’d believed him, considering how often he brought him up in conversation.

It made more sense now, though, to look at him. To see that Sebastian had always gotten whatever he had wanted without consequences, until he’d had them. And yet, it was obvious Sebastian’s father had never faced any pushback for his own actions. Blaine looked down, playing with a loose thread on one of the throw pillows on the couch. 

“I didn’t know our moms even knew each other. My mom never said anything, even when we were… friends back then,” Blaine said, knowing he was changing the subject but he had no idea what to say about Sebastian’s dad. He’d already said plenty back then and generally emotional conversations just made Sebastian defensive. 

“I didn’t either until my mom called me to tell her that your mom called her. I guess they’re not close anymore but your mom thought you could use the support.” Sebastian smirked at him, looking a little more like the overly confident boy he’d been as a teenager.

Blaine’s smile softened, though, something like affection welling in him. Because Sebastian had always made him feel like he was worth being around. Even when he and Kurt had been having problems, when his boyfriend had been making him feel like he wasn’t. “Sebastian, I-”

He was cut off as Sebastian stood up. “We should get back to it. We don’t have all day.”

Blaine nodded as he stood up, slower than Sebastian had. Too many emotions, he reminded himself. He watched Sebastian carefully as they practiced and he wondered just what the other man was thinking of to make his magic.

***

As the weeks passed, Sebastian taught Blaine more and more about the magic he possessed. It got easier for Blaine to compartmentalize his emotions, to hold onto what he wanted to, and ignore what he didn’t. The problem, of course, was that he was having a harder time than ever not seeing Sebastian as the boy he’d desired since he was a teenager.

Because Blaine was single, had toured one-bedroom apartments to move into, hadn’t talked to his ex in those weeks. There was nothing stopping him from telling Sebastian to take everything they’d both wanted since they were teenagers except his own nerves. After every practice, Sebastian stayed and watched shows and movies. They still didn’t talk much, not about anything other than surface topics, but it was nice to spend time together. Or, well, it was torture to spend time together, when Sebastian still had those eyes. 

Sebastian had always looked at him with so much heat and it was no different now.

They had met up to practice magic but Blaine had been lazy when Sebastian had first arrived, turning on a show before they got started. Several hours later, Sebastian looked over at Blaine, both of them still lounging on the couch.

“I want to help you practice but I have a ton of homework,” Sebastian said carefully, arm over the back of the couch, one leg pulled up underneath himself.

Blaine nodded, trying not to show his disappointment. They were knee-deep in the third season of a truly sadistic cooking show and Blaine didn’t want to go on without him. His own feet were bare, legs crossed underneath himself, and curls in his face since he’d barely rolled out of bed and drank a cup of coffee before Sebastian had come over.

The way Sebastian had looked at him when he’d arrived, Blaine had felt his heart start pounding in overtime.

“Of course. It’s okay. I feel like I’m doing better right now anyway,” Blaine responded, chewing on his lower lip as he considered Sebastian. What could it hurt? Blaine didn’t want a relationship. But it was nice to feel so wanted, even if they both tried to keep their friendship on the professional side.

Blaine was moving forward before he could even think about why it might not be the best idea, lessening the distance between the two of them on the couch.

Sebastian’s eyes flickered between Blaine’s eyes and his lips as he smiled slightly. “I would’ve killed to have you like this when we were teenagers,” Sebastian murmured.

Blaine smirked, his heart pounding in overtime as he reached out, setting his hand on top of Sebastian’s clenched fist, resting on the couch in between them. “What? You don’t want me like this now?” he asked, already knowing the answer.

It was clear on Sebastian’s face as his eyes widened, realization dawning in them. The cool neutrality dropped from his features as he stared at him for a long moment. In that second, Blaine wondered whether this was actually something Sebastian wanted. Then Sebastian smiled and the thought was lost.

Both of them moved at once, their lips connecting at a speed that almost hurt. They kissed haphazardly for a moment before Sebastian cupped Blaine’s neck and Blaine tilted his head, their lips sliding together easier now.

This was easy. This was simple. This was something they both wanted and why not?

Why not.

Blaine let his eyes fall closed and he pressed closer to him, his hands roaming as Sebastian’s tongue pressed past his lips.

Why not?


	2. Chapter 2

Blaine knocked on the door to Sebastian’s apartment, trying to tell himself he was overreacting. It was just as likely that Sebastian’s brusque text message had been his form of a booty call, although normally Sebastian wasn’t shy about telling Blaine exactly why he wanted the other man to come over.

The door was opened after only a few seconds, Sebastian reaching out to grab Blaine’s wrist and pull him in. Blaine stumbled, surprised by the touch, expecting anything but Sebastian immediately letting go and stepping away.

“Have you heard the news about Kalum Singleton?” Sebastian asked, taking a few steps away and turning back to face him.

Blaine raised his eyebrows because this wasn’t like Sebastian. Very little had changed about their easy friendship, their magic practice sessions, besides the fact that sometimes they slept together or sexted. But they did have a friendship and Sebastian was treating him like they were barely acquaintances right now. “What news?”

Sebastian stared at him for a moment before he let out a shaky breath, gesturing Blaine to come in and leading the way into his apartment. He moved a few papers off his couch and Blaine had to smile a little. It had surprised Blaine, the first time he’d come to Sebastian’s apartment, to see just how messy the other man was. His shoes were shoved into a corner, jacket thrown over a dining room chair, mugs stacked on the coffee table.

It would likely drive him crazy if he had to deal with it regularly but he didn’t right now. 

When they were both seated on the couch, Blaine tilted his head to the side, waiting for Sebastian to speak. “What news, Sebastian?” Blaine asked, concern filling him now as he thought about what might have happened.

“Do you remember the list your mother gave you?” Sebastian asked and Blaine nodded, although he hadn’t looked at it since he’d first gotten into contact with Sebastian. There was no need for him to. Sebastian reached up to rub his forehead, looking like he had a headache. “My father called me. Kalum, the youngest person on the contact list that’s kept by our specific group of sorcerers, was killed. His magic was pulled from him by somebody who was very powerful.”

Blaine’s eyes widened and his stomach turned as he lifted his hand up to his lips, the words seeming to not make sense. He shook his head, focusing on breathing.

Sebastian’s hand came out to rest on his thigh, the touch surprisingly gentle and calming. “Dark sorcerers can do such a thing but it’s rare. Because magic users are a long line, nobody wants to make such enemies. But some do… or they just don’t care. Sorcerers can pull magic and youth from others. The younger the better, which is undoubtedly why the 18-year-old was chosen.”

“I thought we gain our magic at 21, though. Do they really get magic from them?” The question wasn’t what he wanted to ask, what he wanted to say but it was better than thinking about it.

Because when he thought about it, all he could see was some poor teenager who didn’t deserve such a thing. Blaine had no idea who would even do something like that but he’d never understood the desire to hurt others.

Sebastian nodded. “We gain access to our magic at 21. Which, I suppose, is why everybody says that. But… it’s in our body from when we’re born. It starts manifesting but we can’t use it when we’re 18. That’s why it can be pulled from us. From what I know, though, it’s not pleasant. It’s part of us. It’d be like… draining your blood.”

“I can’t imagine. That’s just… awful,” Blaine breathed, reaching up to rub his eyes with his free hand. With his other, he turned his hand so he could feel Sebastian’s palm against his own. He expected Sebastian to pull away but he didn’t, their fingers curling together until they were properly holding hands. 

They’d never held hands before. They didn’t cuddle on the couch when they were watching television. Just as Blaine had thought, Sebastian made no moves to imply he wanted anything more than their admittedly great sex.

“Obviously everybody that’s in New York is on high alert but I knew you don’t have anybody to tell you.”

Blaine looked up, his eyes softening as he realized just why Sebastian had texted him so frantically, why he’d pulled him into the apartment so quickly. They were friends, he reminded himself. “Do they know why? Or who?”

Sebastian shook his head, his thumb subconsciously sliding along Blaine’s skin as he looked somewhere over Blaine’s shoulder. “No. No idea. But… I’m not alone with wanting to find out. It’s dangerous for everybody. Just because I don’t use my magic doesn’t mean I won’t if I have to. And if I find whoever’s doing this?”

Although he didn’t continue the sentiment, Blaine knew what he was trying to say. He looked down at their hands, trying to think about whether he could use his magic if he needed to protect himself. Although they’d been practicing for nearly two months, he still didn’t know how much control he really had if faced with such a thing. 

Blaine knew he would try to protect himself if he needed to. While he didn’t understand how people could willingly hurt others, he’d learned long ago that he could if he needed to save himself.

“I want to work with you on defense,” Sebastian said, squeezing Blaine’s hand gently once before standing up and beckoning Blaine to stand up with him.

The coffee table had already been moved to the side and Blaine realized Sebastian had been planning on this since he’d texted him at least. Blaine took a breath, trying not to think about why he was going to work on defending himself, and focused on Sebastian.

Sebastian was always what Blaine focused on for his magic, though, even if he refused to admit it to the other man. There were so many emotions associated with Sebastian for Blaine. Pain, trust, friendship, desire. It was easy to think about Sebastian because he found himself constantly thinking about him. 

Maybe that was why he shouldn’t have let himself get lost in Sebastian’s touch that first time.

Too late now, he thought.

“I’m going to throw magic at you. I want you to block it. It’s not going to hurt you if you can’t but it’s not going to feel great. I’m going to let you see it at first but I want you to work up to being able to block it without seeing it,” Sebastian said, all business as he faced Blaine.

But the way Sebastian looked at him. Even in the first few weeks, when they’d been pretending sparks didn’t fly when they touched, Sebastian had still constantly had want in his eyes. 

Blaine could relate. 

Sebastian lifted up his arms, a burst of blue moving from his palms. It was slow, giving Blaine time to concentrate as he thought about holding Sebastian’s hand. He planned on diverting the bubble of magic, sending it towards the floor. At the last second, he looked at the magic and, in his mind, it wasn’t blue but red. Suddenly he wasn’t looking at magic but a slushie that Sebastian was throwing at him.

The magic hit him, knocking the breath out of him, and Sebastian lowered his arms.

“You should’ve been able to divert that easy,” Sebastian said, not apologizing but Blaine hadn’t expected him to.

Sebastian didn’t know that Blaine’s thoughts had shifted. He had blocked out a lot of the night the slushie had been thrown in his face. He had been able to see that the Warblers were planning something. He knew them all better than that. They were friends. But he’d assumed it was simply about the sing-off and so hadn’t done anything about it.

As soon as he saw the slushie in Sebastian’s hand, he’d known what was going to happen.

He knew Sebastian didn’t like Kurt, just as Kurt didn’t like Sebastian although Blaine hadn’t been able to figure out why. Sebastian hit on him constantly, made it clear how much he wanted Blaine, even after Blaine told him to keep it family-friendly. It was obvious why Kurt didn’t like Sebastian but Blaine had never quite figured out why it was mutual. There was no reason for Sebastian to so clearly dislike his boyfriend.

He was also aware that the Warblers weren’t the biggest fans of Kurt, from when he hadn’t had the best attitude when he attended Dalton to when he convinced Blaine to transfer. But the idea they’d do something like that, not just to Kurt but to anybody?

The slushie cup had sent alarm bells rushing through Blaine and it had been pure instinct to jump in front of Kurt. Even now, when they were certainly no longer in love, he didn’t regret the action. If he could, he would’ve done it for any of the New Directions. But he’d known immediately it wasn’t for them.

It was for Kurt. And Blaine had been left by his friends, screaming on the concrete, hands to his eyes, pain shooting through him like knives. Even later, when he was in the hospital, when Kurt had been forced home by his father, his mother on the way, and pain medication running through him, the feeling of betrayal had persisted.

Sebastian hadn’t tried to contact him. Any other night, they’d likely have been texting or on the phone. But that night, Sebastian didn’t even try. Blaine wouldn’t have answered. But he wanted at least an acknowledgement, an apology, an offer of remorse, a clue that Blaine meant more to Sebastian than the rock salt in his eyes. 

Blaine realized he was staring at Sebastian, breathing hard, and he pressed his hands on instinct to his eyes. The surgery had done wonders and he didn’t feel any pain anymore. Sometimes he even managed to forget about it. After all, it wasn’t the only time he’d had to have surgery after something like that. But he hadn’t cared for the bullies who put him in the hospital at his first high school.

“Blaine?”

“Why didn’t you make it red?” Blaine asked, the words harsher than he intended them. Sebastian had apologized. It was over. Blaine didn’t want to hold a grudge against him. Blaine _didn’t_ hold a grudge against him.

It took Sebastian a moment to understand his question but when he did, he frowned, taking a physical step back from him. Blaine had expected him to look defensive, to act like what Blaine was asking was unreasonable. Instead, he moved, grabbing a tissue off a box on a bookshelf and handing it over.

Blaine hadn’t even realized he was crying. He didn’t even know _why_ he was crying, except his magic lessons always made him emotional. Even though he was learning to control it, it wasn’t easy.

“I guess we never really resolved everything between us, did we?” Sebastian asked, his voice shaky as he shoved his hands in his pocket. 

Blaine let out a breath, knowing it wasn’t fair for him to bring this up. Sebastian was here, helping him learn to control his powers because his father had abandoned him, because somebody was going around sucking magic from sorcerers and Sebastian didn’t want it to happen to him. 

When Blaine didn’t answer, Sebastian sighed, moving forward as if he was going to touch Blaine before thinking better of it.

“Sit down,” Sebastian requested gently and Blaine did, following Sebastian’s body with his eyes as Sebastian went into the kitchen. He poured him a glass of water, putting it carefully into Blaine’s hands when he returned and sitting down on the opposite end of the couch. 

“I’m sorry. I’m fine.”

Sebastian shook his head, pressing his lips together as he looked down at the glass instead of at Blaine’s face. “Don’t be stupid. Don’t apologize because I threw a slushie in your face years ago. You have nothing to be sorry for. I do.”

Unable to really argue, Blaine stayed silent. Instead, he took a few large gulps of his water and looked at the other man.

“I _am_ sorry,” Sebastian said, a seriousness that Blaine so rarely heard in his voice. Sebastian rubbed his hands along his thighs, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Still, Sebastian’s head lifted and their eyes met. “The slushie was a ridiculously stupid idea and the rock salt was worse. It was just supposed to ruin his clothes. None of us considered the idea that it would hurt anybody, least of all you, Blaine. Hurting you was… _never_ my intention.”

“Why did you do it? I guess that’s what I never understood. I know you’re sorry. I get it but… why did you hate Kurt so much?” Blaine asked, taking a calming breath, setting his water glass to the side and wrapping an arm around himself.

Sebastian frowned, eyebrows drawing together in confusion. “Really?” he asked and Blaine nodded, feeling confused himself when Sebastian actually laughed. “Blaine, I hated him because of you. Because you were so vibrant and… happy when you were around the Warblers or by yourself or… with just me. But when he came around, when I saw you with him and the rest of them, you were different. He made you a different person and I hated him, not only because he got to have you when I wanted you, but because he didn’t even realize what he was doing to you.”

The words felt like the magic that had hit him times ten, making his heart skip a beat and his breath leave him in a gasp. He didn’t know what he’d expected, maybe something about Kurt’s personality since Sebastian was always insulting him, but it wasn’t that. It was the fact that while Blaine hadn’t noticed until it was too late how he’d been chiseling away pieces of himself to fit what Kurt wanted, Sebastian had. Sebastian had seen him, known him, better than anybody back then.

Sebastian tentatively reached out and, when Blaine didn’t tense, rested a hand on Blaine’s leg. “You’re what I think about… When I use magic, it’s you. Losing you, being friends with you, wanting you. It’s always you. I wanted you so much back then, it made me stupid. Because you didn’t even notice how much.”

“I noticed. Of course, I noticed how much you wanted me. I wanted you back,” Blaine breathed and it felt like gravity when he was leaning forward to press his lips to Sebastian’s.

Sebastian’s hands on him were so gentle, so sweet. It felt different, to be touched by Sebastian like this. Not to say that whenever they had sex it was rushed, desperate. No, it was lazy sometimes, it was sweet sometimes. But this was something else. 

This was feeling like they were important, like they mattered to each other. 

Blaine kissed him when they reached the bedroom, closed his eyes and let himself go.

***

They’d only bothered to put on pants, reluctantly pulling themselves from the bed because they did want to make sure Blaine was able to practice his defenses. At first, Sebastian had been slightly unsure about the magic he was throwing, keeping it just a shimmering glow without any color but Blaine had smiled.

He didn’t want Sebastian to think about that slushie. Blaine didn’t. And hearing that it had been thrown because of jealousy? Well, Blaine would never, ever try to imply it was okay but… it certainly put a new perspective on it.

“Now try to send it back at me. Carefully. I’m going to block it but I’d prefer not to end up in the hospital tonight,” Sebastian said dryly and the fact that he didn’t look uncertain over his words made Blaine feel better. Then he concentrated because yes, neither of them needed to go to the hospital tonight.

Sebastian threw a purple flare of magic at him and Blaine thought about Sebastian fucking him slowly, holding onto him afterwards, kissing him like the emotions between them were something special. While Sebastian didn’t even move while using magic most of the time, Blaine was still using his hands to help him concentrate. He waved his hands towards Sebastian, pushing it back towards the other man.

It dissolved before he hit him and Sebastian nodded, looking pleased. They tried it several more times and Blaine was able to hit it back each time. 

Although it felt like several hours passed, it was barely one before Blaine moved to collapse on the couch. He’d been gaining more stamina when it came to his magic-use but it was still emotionally draining. Especially when the person he was thinking about was standing in front of him, smiling at him.

When he knew now that when he thought about Sebastian, Sebastian was thinking about him. 

Sebastian sat down next to him, close enough that their thighs were touching. “You’re doing better but you’re going to need to be careful.”

“Aw, Smythe. You trying to say you care about what happens to me?” Blaine teased, turning to just ghost his lips across Sebastian’s.

The other man laughed, cupping Blaine’s cheek and looking at him with a mischievous glint to his eye. “Nah. But, you know, I’ve always wanted you in my bed so I’d hate to give you up now that I’ve got you. And you make a decent enough sparring partner.”

Blaine grinned, using his magic to carefully push Sebastian’s shoulders, forcing the other man away from him. Sebastian looked far too amused and Blaine bit his lower lip when he felt Sebastian pushing back at him. They had a slow and silent back and forth but even with all of his practice, Sebastian still had years of experience on him. He pinned Blaine on his back against the arm of the couch, laying over him with a knee between his thighs.

“Don’t forget. Just because I don’t use my powers regularly doesn’t mean I’m not more powerful than you,” Sebastian murmured, leaning in just a breath away from him. Blaine glared playfully, struggling up against the magic. Sebastian gave him only an inch, kissing back when their lips connected.

He didn’t hold him for long, letting Blaine go so they could kiss deeper, both of them obviously wanting to be closer. They couldn’t get close enough.

Pulling back from the kiss, Blaine looked at Sebastian, reaching up to caress his cheek gently. “Would it be impolite to invite myself to stay the night?”

“It would be horrible manners. But you’re welcome to. Anytime,” Sebastian murmured, sitting up a little so Blaine could as well. It was too bad since Blaine really didn’t want to. “Won’t you be missed?”

Blaine shrugged. “By who? You know I’m single. I’ll have to leave early to get to school on time but my homework will wait until tomorrow.”

“Then I approve of your terrible manners. I’m not offering you pajamas but I’ll order dinner.”

Blaine had to laugh, leaning in to kiss Sebastian again. “That sounds fair enough to me.”

***

A week later, Blaine’s mother called. He wasn’t sure what he expected but he glanced at Sebastian, gesturing for him to be quiet, and answered the call.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Adrianna called me, asked if you’d told me about the deaths. Of course, I had to tell her you hadn’t. How come Sebastian is keeping his mother in the loop but you’re not?” 

“Mom, I didn’t want to worry you and I don’t want to think about it. Besides, there have only been two deaths,” Blaine said, trying to downplay it although he knew it was a big deal. He could still clearly think of the concern in Sebastian’s eyes when he’d told him about Jaydon Drake’s death two days previous. There was little they could do and Blaine had learned Sebastian hated that feeling.

Pamela huffed out an obviously frustrated breath. “That doesn’t mean I don’t like to know these things. This affects you, Blaine. You’re part of that community now, even if you decide to never use your powers. How is your practice going? Do you have more control?”

Blaine stared at the couch, trying to stop the flush that he knew was filling his cheeks. At least his mother wasn’t there to ask what it was about although Sebastian was smirking at him. “Yeah. Sebastian’s a big help. He’s been helping me make sure I can defend myself against magic as much as I can.” He didn’t mention that most of the time the sessions dissolved into them making out and not practicing as much as they probably should.

While Sebastian constantly said that Blaine had a natural ability, Blaine also wasn’t learning as fast as he could be. He didn’t have a lot of interest in magic, besides wanting to protect himself or help others. 

“That’s good. I need you to be able to defend yourself if something happens. You know, they’re both younger than you. They didn’t have magic to defend themselves,” Pamela said and Blaine shifted uncomfortably. While Sebastian kept him up to date, he didn’t tell him too much about it because it just disturbed Blaine. He hated hearing about it, too empathetic for the information.

Blaine glanced up as Sebastian took half a step towards him and he quickly deflected the ball of magic Sebastian tossed his way. “I do have magic, Mom. I promise, I’m okay.”

“I just wish I could talk to your father. I wish I had some sort of phone number or some way to contact him,” Pamela said with a low sigh. This wasn’t the only time Blaine had ever heard her say such a thing and so he stayed quiet, not wanting to make it worse. “Are you with Kurt?”

Rolling his eyes, Blaine went to sit down on the couch. “No, Mom. We’re not getting back together. I’m… actually with Sebastian, right now. We’re practicing magic.”

“Oh, well, that’s good. I’m glad he’s taking care of you. Is he taking care of you?”

“I have to go, Mom. But… yes, he is. Okay. I have a ton of homework. I’ve got to get home. I’ll call you soon. I love you,” Blaine said, waiting for her to return the sentiment before hanging up the phone.

Sebastian raised his eyebrows in question over Blaine’s blush but Blaine just shook his head, not wanting to tell him. “Does your mom still think you and Kurt are getting back together?”

“She’s a little stuck on the past,” Blaine answered easily, sighing as he leaned against Sebastian’s shoulder. 

It was nice, to sit with him like this. Blaine closed his eyes as Sebastian lifted a hand to gently rub his neck, loosening the tense muscles. All Blaine wanted to do was stay, for the next few hours, forever maybe.

Blaine sat up quickly, knowing such thoughts were immensely dangerous.

“I really do have homework to do,” Blaine said, reluctantly standing up and stretching. Even distracted, he was still able to deflect the magic that Sebastian shot his way and he huffed. “Stop that. Practice is over.”

“Practice isn’t over until whoever’s killing sorcerers in the area is caught,” Sebastian responded easily, standing up and setting his hands on Blaine’s shoulders. Blaine tilted his head back, hands sliding easily up to rest on Sebastian’s chest. “You’re being careful, right?”

Blaine smiled indulgently, standing up on his toes to kiss Sebastian gently. Before Sebastian could respond, Blaine pulled back, going to pull on his shoes. “I’m being careful. You are too, right? It’s not just me who should be worried.”

Sebastian watched him and, when Blaine turned back, he had affection in his eyes that made Blaine’s breath catch. “I’m being careful,” Sebastian told him.

Even though he had plenty of homework to do, Blaine still moved forward to kiss Sebastian again.

***

The text came when he was at school.

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
Come over after class.   
There have been two more deaths._

_**Blaine Anderson**  
I can’t right after school. Kurt apparently left something for school at the apartment and he doesn’t have a key anymore so I need to let him in._

It was nearly an hour before the next text came, long enough that Blaine wasn’t even sure he was going to get a response. It wasn’t that Blaine wanted to meet Kurt; the exact opposite actually. But Kurt had acted as if it was something important and Blaine really didn’t want to cause a fight.

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
Fine. As soon as you can.  
Blaine, be careful._

_**Blaine Anderson**  
Aw, you care. ♥_

_**Sebastian Smythe**  
Just don’t want to lose my sparring partner, Anderson._

Blaine smirked at the text message before putting it away to focus on the sound of his teacher’s voice.

***

Later that night, when he got to Sebastian’s apartment, he headed in after the other man, freezing when they hit the living room. There were pictures all over the coffee table and even though Sebastian quickly piled most of them up, it wasn’t before Blaine saw a few very pale faces.

“Is that…?”

“I meant to put them away before you got here. I’m sorry,” Sebastian said gently, dropping the pictures into a folder and setting it aside. “I didn’t mean for you to see them.”

Blaine took a few deep breaths through his teeth, not wanting to think about the faces. He didn’t want to think about the people who had been attacked. Instead, he went to sit down on the couch, looking up when Sebastian sat down next to him. “How’d you even get those?”

“I have my sources,” Sebastian said, reaching out to gently pull Blaine towards him, rubbing his back gently. It was intense, how quickly Sebastian was able to calm him down, and he wondered whether it had to do with the powerful emotions they shared. “My dad’s getting concerned about the list. He wants to know who’s doing it and he wants them stopped.”

Blaine nodded, turning his face into Sebastian’s neck for a moment before he took a deep breath. “Do you have any pictures of who’s doing it? Or just the… victims?” 

Sebastian kept one arm around Blaine, his other moving to pick up a few of the pictures and handing them over.

None of them showed the other person clearly. It was obviously a couple, a man and a woman, both of them on the taller side, but that was it. Blaine still stared, unsure why he felt such a spark as he looked at the picture. It was nobody he knew well but… “I feel like I recognize him. I wonder if it’s somebody I know.”

Sebastian tensed, staring at Blaine before he sighed. “Be careful, Blaine. It could be somebody you know. All we know is it’s two people with magic but it could even be more. They want to take magic, for some reason.”

Blaine smiled slightly, putting the pictures down and turning towards Sebastian again. “That narrows it down. Tell me more,” Blaine teased, feeling something pushing at him.

He realized immediately it was Sebastian, using his magic on him, and he laughed quietly. He wasn’t so bad himself now and he focused his magic on binding Sebastian’s arms, pulling Sebastian’s head down to kiss him in an attempt to distract him. 

“Who knew you’d be into such kinky foreplay?” Sebastian asked, not even bothering to fight the hold on him. 

Blaine laughed, using his magic this time to push Sebastian away from him, thinking about how happy the other man made him. Whenever he was with him, it felt like they were laughing and smiling. He knew it wouldn’t last forever. They were bound to have their issues sometime but he was enjoying this while it lasted.

Being with Sebastian made him optimistic. The other man listened to him, respected him. It was different to the way Kurt had always treated him. Blaine was himself with Sebastian and Sebastian seemed to like the way he was.

“I’m just practicing my magic,” Blaine said, happy for the distraction from the pictures. He was just leaning in to kiss him again when he heard his phone ring and he sighed, hoping his mother hadn’t somehow heard about these new deaths.

That was the last thing he needed. Or, he would’ve thought it was. Until he saw Kurt’s name pop up on his phone and he reached out to pick it up. Looking back at Sebastian, the other man had his lips pressed together and Blaine stood up.

“I’ll be right back,” he said quietly, stepping outside to take the phone call, not wanting to talk to Kurt in front of Sebastian. 

It had nothing to do with Kurt, not really. It was the fact that what he shared with Sebastian wasn’t any of Kurt’s business. He didn’t want to blemish his friendship by bringing Kurt into it.

The phone call was pointless anyway and Blaine couldn’t help but feel suspicious, wondering if Rachel really was wanting to invite him to a night out with their friends. Because Rachel could’ve invited him herself and Kurt had been calling Blaine a lot lately.

Blaine headed back into the apartment as soon as the short phone call was over, finding Sebastian staring at a piece of paper in the folder he’d dropped the pictures in. 

“What are you looking at?” Blaine asked quietly, sitting down on the couch and frowning when Sebastian closed the folder and put it down.

“The list of names,” Sebastian responded, looking over and he opened his mouth, as if he was preparing to say something. Then he closed it, tossing the folder onto the coffee table and leaning back against the couch. “I have a lot of homework to do, though. Are you staying the night?”

Blaine smiled slightly because he’d been staying more and more often. It was still just a friendship with benefits, but it wasn’t just sex. They slept curled up around each other and drank coffee together in the mornings. They made plans with each other. And Blaine wanted to keep making plans with him.

“I have too much homework to do and we know if I stay neither one of us will get it done,” Blaine responded although Sebastian didn’t respond to his flirty tone the way he’d expected.

Instead of smiling back, Sebastian just nodded. “Okay.” 

Blaine stood after a moment, when he realized Sebastian wasn’t going to say anything else. 

But before he could even turn towards the door, Sebastian was standing up, grabbing his wrist and tugging him into Sebastian’s chest. “Blaine,” Sebastian breathed, their eyes meeting and Blaine was swept away by the emotion in his eyes. “Be careful, alright?”

Blaine didn’t know what had Sebastian not responding to him a minute ago but he stood up straighter, kissing him hard in response to the words. “You too,” he whispered, holding onto Sebastian for a long moment.

When he left, Blaine pulled out his phone, scrolling through the contacts and calling his brother. It had been too long since he’d talked to him. The first week, he’d called him every day, talking about what he was learning with Sebastian and asking about their father. As he’d grown closer to Sebastian, he’d stopped needing Cooper’s assistance as much.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my baby brother. Been having too much fun learning how to do magic to call me lately?”

Blaine rolled his eyes, although he was smiling as he headed towards the subway station. “Something like that. Have you talked to my mom lately?”

“Yeah, she called me to let me know about the deaths… Asked if I knew how to get a hold of Dad but I don’t. I haven’t talked to him since he ran off with that woman. He hasn’t tried to even contact me,” Cooper said, his voice much more somber now. “I don’t know why he would. I haven’t used magic in years.”

“You sound like Sebastian. He doesn’t use his magic either. Although, he’s been using it more, obviously, to teach me. He’s good at it,” Blaine said, moving a few steps away from the nearest person although he doubted anybody would really listen in on his conversation. Anybody who did would likely ignore his words, anyway. He would have before he learned magic was real.

Cooper was quiet for a moment. Ever since they’d reconnected when Blaine was a teenager, his brother had made an effort to be more supportive of Blaine, to be a better brother. “Pam said you’ve been spending a lot of time with Sebastian lately. What’s up with that?”

Blaine looked down but there was only one answer. It was what he’d been dwelling on a lot lately. “I like him. A lot. I kind of… I think I want to date him. I just… don’t know if he’s interested in that.”

“The Smythe family is powerful. Dad would probably kill somebody to get you and Sebastian together,” Cooper said, his tone teasing. 

“His magic doesn’t have anything to do with it. He’s… special, Coop. He treats me really well.” Blaine couldn’t help the somewhat wistful tone as he hoped with everything in him that Sebastian might be interested in him. There was only one way to know. Blaine would have to bring it up but after everything that had happened… Blaine was nervous.

What if Sebastian wasn’t interested? What if their friendship was ruined? Blaine couldn’t help but wonder whether this relationship would just be enough for him forever. Of course, he already knew the answer to that.

“That’s really cool, Blaine. Does he let you actually pick a movie for move night every once in a while? Because if so, he’s better than your ex.”

Blaine laughed, closing his eyes because Sebastian was infinitely better than Kurt, in so many ways. 

Blaine had to ask Sebastian. He had no other options.

***

Immediately after school, Blaine went to Sebastian’s apartment, knocking and stepping in as soon as Sebastian opened the door. All of his words were lost in his throat as he saw the distress that was evident on Sebastian’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Another death. That makes five,” Sebastian said, reaching out to touch Blaine’s cheek, the caress surprisingly gentle. Blaine tilted his head up to look at him, his brows furrowed in concern. Another death was something bad, of course, but he didn’t know why Sebastian was looking at him with such pain. “You don’t even realize, do you?”

Blaine shook his head, his hand resting over Sebastian’s on his cheek. “No. What’s the significance of this one?”

Sebastian breathed out, shaking his head and leaning in to kiss Blaine instead. It was an easy distraction, one he didn’t mind, and he kissed him back. “Never mind,” Sebastian said, reaching down to take Blaine’s hand and start tugging him towards the bedroom. “My father’s coming to town tomorrow but I want to meet every day until the killer is caught. And you should stay every night you can. You shouldn’t be alone.”

“I…” Blaine’s first instinct was to say he couldn’t. He had school, a life, friends. He couldn’t just stay with Sebastian until the killer was caught. Who knew how long it would take? But… again, he caught himself thinking why not? What was the problem with staying at Sebastian’s apartment instead of his own? “Okay.”

Because Blaine couldn’t deny that he wanted to. The idea that Sebastian was so concerned about him that he wanted him there at all times? Maybe it was even just an excuse for Blaine to be closer. It wasn’t the type of thing Sebastian would do. Normally he was outspoken but Blaine could hope. 

Blaine was constantly hoping when it came to Sebastian. 

It was easy to let Sebastian distract him, pull him to the bedroom. It was easy to let himself get lost in Sebastian.

It was harder for him to roll onto his side to face Sebastian, both of them naked and sated later. 

“You look deep in thought,” Sebastian said, reaching out to touch the crease in Blaine’s forehead gently.

Blaine let out a breath, getting up and starting to get dressed. He knew he was being a little silly, considering how often Sebastian had seen him naked in the past few weeks, but he felt like he needed some kind of armor. Taking the cue from him, Sebastian slowly stood, pulling his own underwear on.

When Blaine was dressed again, although Sebastian had thrown his bowtie somewhere he couldn’t find, Blaine turned to face him. 

“I…” Blaine started and then stopped, chewing on his lower lip. It was going to be okay, he told himself. Of course, Sebastian was interested in him. Everything they’d done together, everything they’d talked about, everything they’d shared in the past few weeks proved it. “I was wondering if you… wanted to go out on a date. Sometime.”

Sebastian stared at him, his lips parting as Blaine shifted uncomfortably. There was no way Sebastian could just try to ignore it so he was simply knocked speechless. It wasn’t the immediate acceptance that Blaine had wanted but he had known better than to expect it. 

“We don’t have to. But… I just thought… I’ve wanted you since we were teenagers and now that I’m single, now that we’re both single, I thought why not? We can give it a try.”

Sebastian closed his eyes for a long moment, looking actually pained before he opened his eyes again. “Blaine, it’s not that I don’t want to… But I can’t right now, okay? Not until this whole situation is taken care of. I can’t be distracted.”

The words sounded like an excuse, even as Sebastian looked like he wanted to say something else. Blaine reached up to rub his eyes, telling himself he wasn’t going to cry over the rejection. It was okay. Sebastian hadn’t freaked out, hadn’t asked Blaine to leave. They could still be friends. But Blaine drew in a shaky breath, turning away.

“I should go,” Blaine whispered, knowing he’d just arrived, knowing Sebastian had asked him to stay until the killer was found.

Sebastian reached out, trying to grab Blaine’s wrist but Blaine sent out an electric burst of magic, stinging Sebastian’s hand. “Blaine, wait, let’s talk about this. Don’t go.”

Blaine turned back to Sebastian, a cynical smile twisting his lips. “Don’t worry. I’ll be careful.”

The other man pressed his lips together, watching but saying nothing as Blaine headed out. He could cry in the shower when he got home.


	3. Chapter 3

The next morning found Blaine organizing his apartment. He was up early, dwelling on the fact that Sebastian didn’t want to date him. After a long shower and a night of sleep he was somewhat embarrassed by his outburst. It wasn’t Sebastian’s fault. Blaine _knew_ that Sebastian hadn’t made any moves to ask him out.

But Blaine had thought Sebastian wanted him. It was the little things, the way Sebastian looked at him, touched him. Blaine had just made something out of nothing, same as always. 

Blaine pulled the pictures of the wedding down, putting them carefully into the box he planned on putting away into storage. Everything related to Kurt was going into storage. He should’ve done this months ago, when they separated, or weeks ago when he started sleeping with Sebastian. But he’d spent so much time at Sebastian’s apartment, so much time pretending he wasn’t falling for Sebastian.

As soon as Blaine thought that, he sighed, reaching up to rub his eyes. That was the problem, wasn’t it? Blaine had fallen for Sebastian and he felt like a fool.

Blaine glanced up at the knock on the door, knowing it was his ex. As soon as he’d woken up that morning, he’d texted Kurt, asking him to come over and get the rest of his things that had still been around the apartment.

A jacket left in the closet, a few shot glasses still in the cupboard, a scarf that was hidden in the couch cushions. Blaine was over Kurt, had been over him, but he wanted it to be done. Their relationship was in the past and it was time for Blaine to move on. Blaine had thought Sebastian would… 

No, Blaine took a breath. No reason to think about it. Blaine would call Sebastian, apologize, and say they could still be friends. He wouldn’t ask why Sebastian wasn’t interested because it didn’t matter. It wasn’t fair to expect Sebastian to want to be with him just because Sebastian held hands with him. Hopefully they could still be friends. Maybe it would hurt for a while but Blaine didn’t actually want to lose Sebastian. Not when their friendship meant so much.

“Hey,” Blaine said when he opened the door, smiling politely at Kurt and Rachel. He stepped back, letting the two enter the apartment. He still had a twinge of sadness, thinking of what could have been with Kurt but their relationship never could’ve been good. They weren’t happy together.

Not the way he was with Sebastian. He forced that thought from his mind quickly.

“Blaine,” Rachel said in greeting, standing next to the door and knew Kurt had asked her to come as a buffer between them. At least he hadn’t come alone in an attempt to get him back.

“Hi,” Kurt said coldly and Blaine wasn’t surprised. His text message had been polite but abrupt, wanting to get it out of the way this morning. “You said I had some things to pick up?”

Blaine nodded, heading over to the kitchen where a filled box was sitting. “I packed everything of yours I could find. I’ll be moving as soon as the lease is up and I didn’t want to have to deal with it while I was packing my own things.”

Rachel pressed her lips together as Kurt leaned his hip against the counter, turning to Blaine with a hurt look on his face.

Blaine hadn’t wanted to be right about Kurt’s feelings. He was sorry that Kurt was considering trying to rekindle their romance but Blaine wasn’t interested anymore. And that had nothing to do with Sebastian and everything to do with Kurt.

“Where are you planning-” Kurt’s question was interrupted by another knock on the door and all three glanced over.

The closest to the door, Rachel, went to answer it and Blaine could see her entire body tense when she saw who it was. Blaine opened his mouth, preparing to ask who was there when he heard Sebastian’s voice.

“If it isn’t Rachel Berry,” Sebastian said dryly, stepping around her and into the apartment. He looked around, meeting Blaine’s eyes and he seemed to relax as soon as their eyes met. “Blaine, I have to talk to you.”

Kurt turned to Blaine, a certain amount of betrayal on his face that had Blaine resist the urge to roll his eyes. He’d known all along that Kurt wouldn’t be happy about his renewed friendship with Sebastian but it wasn’t any of Kurt’s business. They weren’t together, hadn’t been in months. And as soon as the rest of Kurt’s items were out of his apartment, he could stop thinking about him.

“You’re having people like Sebastian Smythe over now?” Kurt asked, in a tone that reminded Blaine far too much of dating him. That was the last thing he wanted to feel.

Especially when Sebastian was looking at him the way he was. It wasn’t fair for Sebastian to give him excuses for reasons why they couldn’t date when he _looked_ at him like that. Like he was so relieved to see Blaine, like he’d been waiting.

Blaine turned to Kurt, realizing he still hadn’t answered and he sighed. “Yes, I am. Not that it’s any of your business,” Blaine said, picking up the box to hand over to Kurt.

Before Kurt had even taken the box, there was a third knock on the door and Blaine looked between everybody. He wasn’t expecting somebody this early in the morning. Not that people like Sam weren’t inclined to sometimes just drop in but it was before noon. Blaine looked at Sebastian, the way the other man’s face paled as Sebastian grabbed Rachel’s wrist before she could answer the door.

“I got it,” Sebastian said and Blaine put the box in Kurt’s arms and took a few steps forward, his heart beginning to pound in concern. Was something the matter? There was no way somebody knew where he lived. Or that Sebastian was here. But two magic users in one apartment and an unknown knock on the door. 

The door opened and Blaine blinked. 

It wasn’t an unknown attacker. No, Blaine knew that face. Even though he hadn’t seen it in more than two decades, he knew it from pictures, from home videos. 

His father looked exactly the same as he did in pictures of Blaine as a baby. It was surprising since 20 years had passed since then. Blaine’s brows furrowed and, when his gaze just swept past Sebastian’s, the other man looked just as confused. 

“Blaine, I didn’t realize you’d have company,” Zachary said as he looked at Sebastian.

“Dad,” Blaine breathed and Kurt took half a step towards him, as if he might touch Blaine. It wouldn’t have surprised Blaine. Kurt knew how Blaine felt about his father but he didn’t want him right then. The truth was, he wanted Sebastian’s support, who was still standing in front of the doorway so Zachary and the woman with him couldn’t come in. Blaine swallowed hard and stepped forward, a gentle hand resting on Sebastian’s back so the other man would move and clear the space.

“This is Cheryl,” Zachary said, waving towards the woman with him, who gave Blaine a short wave, a blank expression on her admittedly pretty features.

She didn’t look much older than Blaine did and he intended to move his hand from Sebastian’s back but he couldn’t. He lifted his free hand instead, giving her a short wave as Zachary looked over Sebastian with appraising eyes.

“You’re Smythe’s boy, aren’t you? Your father talked about you a lot. Not that I’ve spoken to him in a long time,” Zachary said, tilting his head towards Sebastian in a small nod of greeting.

Something felt wrong about the interaction, about the way Zachary and Cheryl were looking between them. How did his father even know where he lived? How were they here?

Sebastian nodded. “I am. Was Blaine expecting you?”

“No,” Zachary said with a quiet laugh, taking a few steps into the apartment. He looked around the boxes that Blaine was packing and then lifted his head. “Moving?”

“Kurt’s taking his things and leaving,” Blaine said quickly. He didn’t want his ex here, didn’t want any of them here. The idea of being around his father, around Kurt, around Sebastian… It was too much. Too many emotions were swirling inside of him and, while he’d been practicing separating them, he was having a hard time right then. Blaine let his hand drop from Sebastian’s back as he took a few steps away. “Sebastian was leaving too.”

Kurt didn’t look like he planned on arguing, moving towards the front door with Rachel. 

Sebastian, on the other hand, shook his head immediately. “I’m not going anywhere, Blaine,” he said, not looking away from Zachary for a moment.

“This is personal, Sebastian. Didn’t you make it clear you don’t want that?” Blaine asked, his tone biting and he knew it wasn’t fair. He couldn’t just expect Sebastian to want him. He’d reminded himself of it over and over. It didn’t make it any easier when he was in the same room with the three of them.

Sebastian shot him a narrow-eyed glare, reaching out to take Blaine’s hand in a firm grasp. “I’m _not_ leaving, Blaine,” Sebastian said clearly, turning to look at Kurt and Rachel, who were both looking slack-jawed at them. “They can go, though.”

“You don’t get to tell me-” Kurt started.

“He’s not telling you. I am. That should be everything you have in the apartment,” Blaine said, turning his fingers so he could hold onto Sebastian’s hand back, taking a deep breath. 

He didn’t want to trust the sick feeling in his chest right now but he couldn’t just ignore it. Not when Sebastian was so tense at his side and his father was looking in between the two.

Kurt pressed his lips together but there was nothing else for him to say. Blaine didn’t let go of Sebastian, just took half a step closer to him so there was room for Kurt and Rachel to leave.

“I… I’ll see you around, Blaine,” Kurt murmured. Rachel didn’t bother to say anything as she walked out before Kurt. Blaine tried not to let it show how much that stung.

None of them had ever been his friends, not really. Rachel, Mike, Quinn, all of those who had graduated before Blaine had. They might know each other but that was it. Blaine found that with Sebastian at his side, close enough Blaine could feel his body heat, it didn’t hurt as much. It was okay. Because Sebastian was here and obviously was sticking with him.

“How’d you know where I live?” Blaine asked quietly, knowing he was being incredibly rude to not invite his father and Cheryl further into his apartment. He wasn’t sure Sebastian would even let him right then, though, and he didn’t blame him. Something was wrong.

Even though Zachary smiled, obviously trying to put him at ease. “Your mother called. She said she was concerned. She’s always had my phone number in case of emergencies.”

Blaine’s hold on Sebastian tightened hard enough it had to be painful but the other man made no move to pull away. Pamela had made it clear she had no idea how to contact Zachary, had wanted to. There was no way she would’ve gotten his phone number and not let Blaine know. Sebastian turned his head at the increased pressure on his hand and Blaine widened his eyes at Sebastian, hoping against hope that Sebastian could read his mind.

It wasn’t a magic power Sebastian had but maybe it had to do with the feelings they shared because Sebastian gave him the shortest of nods. 

“You’ve been doing this all along, haven’t you?” Blaine asked, feeling Sebastian’s magic working in the air, trying to build a defensive shield around the two of them, bumping against Blaine in parts. 

Terror was filling him and pain at the idea it was his _father_ who had done all of this. He thought of the faces he had seen in the pictures Sebastian had, the pain they must’ve gone through. For what? Power? Blaine felt a surge of anger rush through him and he used it, feeling his magic wrap around Sebastian’s in their defense.

Cheryl was the one who moved forward. Sebastian moved before Blaine could even think, stepping in between them and Blaine. “It’s nothing personal, Blaine. You’re just the next youngest on the list. Didn’t you know?”

Blaine turned to Sebastian, understanding suddenly what Sebastian had been talking about when he’d rejected him. He was such an idiot. They were both such idiots. Sebastian hadn’t wanted to worry him and Blaine hadn’t even noticed. Five deaths, five younger sorcerers in the area. It was him now and Sebastian hadn’t wanted to be distracted from finding the killer before they got Blaine.

Realizing Sebastian was still standing in between him and the other two, Blaine moved forward so they were level. He refused to let Sebastian get hurt for him. Apparently, Blaine was the target and yet Sebastian was stepping in between them.

“It feels kind of personal,” Blaine said honestly and he took a deep breath, knowing the shield they had wasn’t nearly enough.

Sebastian squeezed his hand gently. Fortunately, he didn’t try to step forward since Blaine would’ve followed and he didn’t want to get any closer. “It’s two magic users against two magic users. That’s not your plan. So, you should leave.”

Zachary smiled although it didn’t look nice. Blaine swallowed hard but there were no words to be said. Magic hit him like a cannonball, forcing through his and Sebastian’s magic like it wasn’t there. Blaine closed his eyes, yelping as he hit the wall with a muffled crack. Pain blossomed immediately through his body and he forced himself to breathe through his teeth.

Another burst of pain as Zachary dropped his magic, letting Sebastian and Blaine fall to the ground. Immediately, Sebastian pushed up and towards him, cupping his cheek and looking at him carefully. All around him, Sebastian’s magic fell over them like a blanket, shielding them from Zachary and Cheryl.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian asked and Blaine just stared up at him. He nodded because while he was in pain, it wasn’t the worst he’d ever felt. Which probably wasn’t the best thought in the world but it was the truth.

Blaine rested his hand on top of Sebastian’s, giving a little smile. “You want me, huh?”

Sebastian laughed incredulously. “Bad timing but… yeah, Blaine I do. You should’ve realized that. That’s what I came to tell you.”

A deep breath and Blaine sat up with a wince, looking through the shimmer of magic at his dad. “What’s the plan?”

“Not let him kill you or me?” Sebastian asked wryly, swiping his thumb gently along Blaine’s cheek in a slow caress. Just his touch made Blaine feel better in a way that he probably should feel embarrassed about. 

They were both such idiots. But then, Blaine had never been very good with love and Sebastian hadn’t either. They stood up together and Blaine could only hope they had the chance to be a mess of a couple after this.

“I think of you,” Sebastian whispered at his side and Blaine looked over, biting his lower lip. 

He thought of what both his mother and Sebastian told him. Couples were stronger together because they were sharing emotions. Blaine swallowed hard. He thought of Sebastian and Sebastian thought of him and that had to mean something, didn’t it? If their magic came from their emotions and they were feeling the same emotions to each other…

Blaine breathed in, looking over at Sebastian for just a moment. “I think of you too. Always.”

Sebastian swallowed audibly and reached out, taking his hand. “You can feel my magic, can’t you? Work with me.” With his words, Blaine felt warmth running through him. Sebastian was thinking the same thing that Blaine was. That had to mean something. 

It did mean something. Blaine knew it. 

They both did.

Holding Sebastian’s hand, Blaine took a breath and centered his emotions. He thought about laughing with Sebastian as they did homework together, sharing a kiss before they parted for the day, holding each other after a long day. He thought of Sebastian stepping in between Blaine and the other two to protect him.

He thought of telling Sebastian he was in love with him. Maybe not yet but soon.

Their magic felt like the sun shining down on him as he focused on not just the way Sebastian made him feel but how he made Sebastian feel. It wasn’t just him. He thought of Sebastian smiling at him as Blaine handed over a cup of coffee he’d already made before Sebastian had got out of the shower, of Sebastian’s content sigh he’d never admit to as Blaine curled close to him in bed at night.

Was that what it meant to have their magic work together? 

Blaine didn’t know but it certainly felt like it. It felt like he didn’t even need to know what Sebastian was planning because his magic did. There was no color in the air, nothing to indicate, but he knew their magic was as closely intertwined as they felt. The burst of energy knocked his father and Cheryl several steps back and they looked at them curiously.

Neither couple wanted to get any closer to the other, it seemed. Blaine really hoped they didn’t break anything in the apartment. Then he wanted to laugh at himself because he hoped they survived long enough for him to not care about anything broken.

“How sweet,” Cheryl said, although she didn’t sound like she actually meant it.

Sebastian smirked, something mischievous that sent butterflies straight to Blaine’s chest. “Do you two work together like that?”

Simple curiosity. But Blaine knew Sebastian hated being out of control of a situation. Then he wasn’t able to think because he had to defend himself against the burst of magic Cheryl sent his way.

It hurt but wasn’t too much. Not when he could feel Sebastian’s magic, when they curled magic around themselves in defense and sent pressure forward in offense.

Mere minutes later, it became obvious that no, his dad and Cheryl couldn’t relate to the way he and Sebastian felt about each other. Their magic didn’t have the same kick and it was only too easy to defend themselves. But they couldn’t attack. Cheryl and Zachary had already taken magic from five other people. Their magic was too powerful.

This fight wasn’t what Blaine wanted to have. Even though he hadn’t known his dad since he was young, he didn’t want to have to fight him. But he did.

He sent magic bursts, wishing Sebastian had practiced more with him. They’d practiced defense more than anything, along with simple sparks of energy. There was no way they were going to win this and Blaine tightened his hold on Sebastian’s hand.

Dying was the last thing he wanted but at least he was with Sebastian. He’d give anything to change circumstances, make Sebastian not come for him, but he couldn’t. All he could do was be grateful Sebastian was with him. Sebastian turned to him, as if he could sense his thoughts, and gave him a soft, sad smile.

Blaine thought of telling Sebastian he loved him.

This time, there was no knock on the door. It flew open, nearly hitting Cheryl, who was standing in front of it.

At his side, Sebastian breathed a sigh of relief, squeezing Blaine’s hand as the taller man came into the room. He was followed almost immediately by several other people that Blaine didn’t know.

“Dad,” Sebastian whispered, seeing Cheryl and Zachary turn to face him. 

Blaine had never met him, had only heard about Oliver Smythe, but he’d very rarely been so happy to see somebody. And he remembered Sebastian had told him his father would be coming.

“Zachary Anderson. I should’ve known,” Oliver said with a roll of his eyes. The sarcastic way Oliver said it made Blaine think of Sebastian and he took a step closer to him, until he and Sebastian were close enough their bodies were touching. 

Sebastian let go of Blaine’s hand but immediately wrapped an arm around his waist to keep him close instead. 

Blaine turned his face into Sebastian’s shoulder, not wanting to see a fight but it wasn’t needed. Even with the younger sorcerer’s magic, Zachary and Cheryl were too outnumbered. Oliver took one look at Blaine and Sebastian before he gestured towards one of the women.

“Take Zachary and the woman outside,” he said, approaching Blaine and Sebastian.

As soon as the front door shut behind most of the other sorcerers, Blaine turned bodily into Sebastian. They collided, Sebastian turning to face him at the same time, one hand going to the back of his neck, the other on his back.

“We’re okay. It’s okay,” Blaine breathed, mostly for himself as Sebastian began rubbing his back gently. 

“You did really good. Could’ve done better. We’ll have to practice,” Sebastian teased, pressing a quick kiss to Blaine’s temple before he pulled back slightly to look at his dad.

Blaine rested his head on Sebastian’s shoulder, keeping close but looking over at the man as well. “Thank you for the help. How’d you know…?”

“I recognized the pictures. I thought I had but then looking at them again in Sebastian’s apartment I knew. And as for how I knew where you live? I called your mother,” Oliver said, shrugging his shoulder as he looked between the two. “You seemed to be holding your own when I got here, besides that they had you backed against the wall.”

Sebastian rolled his eyes although it was obvious nothing could get rid of the relief he was feeling. This was too much for them. Neither one of them was equipped for this sort of magic fight. Neither wanted to use magic in their day to day lives.

“We were purposefully against the wall. Didn’t you teach me to never show the enemy my back?” Sebastian asked, still rubbing Blaine’s back in slow circles.

Oliver nodded as he considered the two in front of him. He let out a breath, looking around the apartment and Blaine had no idea what he might be seeing. “Well, I suppose it’s a good thing I made the trip although it’s shorter than I had anticipated. Can I take the two of you out to dinner tonight?”

Blaine looked at Sebastian, unsure if the other man would be enthusiastic about such a thing but Sebastian was looking back at him, letting Blaine decide. Even though Sebastian and his father weren’t close, Blaine could see the two shared a lot of emotions between them. They had a deeper connection than either would admit.

“That would be great, sure,” Blaine said, knowing he and Sebastian needed to talk first anyway.

Hearing a few small bumps from outside the apartment, Oliver sighed. “I should go make sure everything’s alright. I’ll take care of Zachary and the woman and call you to plan where we want dinner.”

Sebastian nodded, watching him go. As soon as he was outside the door, Sebastian was finally able to relax and Blaine tugged him gently onto the couch. They gazed at each other for a long moment, searching the other for feelings and emotions and injuries. When they were both sure the other was okay, Sebastian leaned back with a sigh and Blaine draped himself over Sebastian, just far enough back so they could still look at each other.

“You finally took down your pictures of you and Kurt,” Sebastian said quietly, looking around the apartment and taking in the boxes scattered around, everything else that Blaine had done this morning.

“I should’ve a long time ago,” Blaine responded and that was the only thing he regretted. He was glad they were down but it felt silly that it had taken him so long. “What are you doing here?”

“I realized you were really hurt about me telling you I wanted to keep you from getting killed,” Sebastian responded dryly, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Blaine’s forehead. Blaine smiled softly, reaching up to cup Sebastian’s cheek as Sebastian laughed, shaking his head. “You really thought I didn’t want you? How many times have I made it clear since we were in high school?”

Blaine rolled his eyes, a flush slipping up his cheeks. “Sebastian, you always made it clear you wanted me in bed with you. You never asked me out or anything.”

“You were in a relationship!” Sebastian responded incredulously, eyes going wide. “Blaine, if all I could get was you in my bed then I’d take it. Because I want you. I thought I made that clear. I said I want you.”

“I… We…” Blaine groaned, burying his face into Sebastian’s neck and smiling, brushing his lips across Sebastian’s skin. “I’m glad you’re here. Not that I’m glad you put yourself in danger for me but…” Lifting his head up, Blaine met Sebastian’s eyes, needing the other man to be able to read the sincerity in them. “I… Should I ask again? Since this situation is taken care of?”

After staring at him for a moment, Sebastian shook his head. Blaine felt a stab of hurt that was alleviated quickly when he heard Sebastian’s words. “How about I clarify with you this time? Blaine, I have wanted you to be my boyfriend since I was a stupid teenager. All I wanted was to be able to make you happy, to make you smile because it made me happy. I don’t do this. I’ve never done this big, romantic moment. But I want it with you.”

Blaine leaned in to kiss him, his heart beating in overtime. He was pretty sure it had to be unhealthy to have so much happen in so little time. Just when Sebastian was tilting his head, his hand lowering, obviously intending on making use of their time alone, Blaine pulled back. “Is there anything more romantic than solving the murder case and then making out on the couch?”

“I mean, did we really solve it? They came to us and then we were rescued by my dad,” Sebastian pointed out.

“Good point. But I guess you’re saying you care about me?” 

There was that playful smirk again as Sebastian’s hand lowered a few more inches. “Well, I do like having a sparring partner.”

“Shut up. Yes. While that wasn’t a question, I’d like to be your boyfriend,” Blaine whispered. Then he leaned in again because all he wanted to do was be infinitely closer to Sebastian. Now they could do so with much less worry.

***

Sebastian frowned as he carefully opened the box that was on the kitchen counter, groaning when he saw it was more niche kitchen appliances, this time a spiralizer and a hot air popcorn popper. “What is your obsession with buying every kitchen appliance you can find?”

“If you’re going to complain about my kitchen appliances, I’m complaining over your shoes everywhere,” Blaine responded easily, carrying a box that was labeled bedroom into the kitchen and setting it on the counter. “Half my boxes are labeled wrong.”

The move had been something they’d been anticipating since Blaine had moved into his previous apartment but Blaine still had left his packing to the last minute. They’d wanted to move in together as soon as they’d started dating but had figured they should wait and make sure it was going to work. So, when he’d moved out of the apartment he’d shared with Kurt, Blaine had moved into one to be alone. It was a waste since he spent so much time at Sebastian’s apartment and as soon as that lease was up, he’d moved in.

Sebastian eyed the box that Blaine had brought in, breathing a sigh of relief when it was just mugs and not more appliances that Sebastian’s small kitchen did not have room for. Not that he had room for a ton of mugs either but he’d rearrange if he had to. “If you didn’t have 16 boxes for the kitchen, that might not have happened.”

“There are definitely not 16,” Blaine responded, grinning as he stepped forward, deciding the conversation could wait for another time. There was plenty of unpacking to do and he wasn’t going to get it all done tonight. Instead, he looped his arm around Sebastian’s neck, smiling up at him. “Can you believe we’re living together?”

“No,” Sebastian said honestly, the emotional word shooting through Blaine and Blaine played with the hair on the back of his neck. “But I’m glad. Besides all the kitchen appliances.”

Blaine laughed, using his magic to bind Sebastian’s wrists together, keeping his hands from straying down as they’d been about to. 

“Kinky foreplay, Anderson?” Sebastian asked, raising an eyebrow, his lips twitching as he tried not to laugh.

“Only with my favorite sparring partner,” Blaine responded easily. He let Sebastian’s wrists go and stood up on his toes to kiss him again.


End file.
